


Is Your Crush Your Soulmate?

by Lovedmoviesb



Series: So, You’ve Got a Crush On Spider-Man... [1]
Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: F/M, Post end game, Pre Far From Home, Pre Relationship, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-11
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-06-26 16:04:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19771672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lovedmoviesb/pseuds/Lovedmoviesb
Summary: Peter can’t sleep so he contemplates soulmates instead. When Ned sends an internet quiz, Peter can’t help but wonder if MJ is the One.





	Is Your Crush Your Soulmate?

“Is Your Crush Your Soulmate?”

It was Ned’s idea to take that stupid quiz. He sent Peter the link during one of their late night text conversations, another distraction, like dozens of nights before this one. It had been difficult for Peter to sleep since the Blip. Maybe his senses were off, maybe he was restless. Or maybe five years of sleep had been enough.

The article heading was styled in big, blocky letters, the kind of thing that Peter was sure some poor graphics intern churned out by the dozens. According to the description, the test would be able to discern whether his affection for his crush was mere hormones or divine providence. Peter wasn’t sure what his favorite cartoon, subject in school, or Avenger had to do with love, but he took it anyway.

Bob’s Burgers. Science. Mr. Stark. 

He clicked the answers one by one, trying to ignore the funny little clench in his stomach. 

“It’s Destiny.”

The test announced this with fanfare, digital confetti filling the screen on his phone. Peter squinted at it in the dark, heart pounding, mind racing. 

It was just a stupid quiz. 

But God, he hoped it was true. 

“Well?” Ned prompted, “what did it say?”

Peter screenshot the results, sending them off with a whoosh. 

“Whoa.” A wide-eyed emoji accompanied this statement. “I mean, if that were true, don’t you think you would have noticed before? Don’t you get that tingle-thing?”

Peter rolled his eyes. The bed beneath him was uncomfortable, too soft. He shifted, propping pillows around him. Outside the window, the world droned on, the sounds the same as they were half a decade ago.

“It’s just an online quiz, Ned,” Peter texted back. 

“Sure,” Ned sent back. “And she’s just a girl.”

The winky face emoji haunted him.

An hour ticked by, then two, unpunctuated by even a moment’s sleep. Chalking it up as a loss, Peter pulled on his suit, then crawled out of his bedroom window. May would be pissed if she knew, and maybe a bit worried. Peter resolved to be back before morning, before she could ever find out. 

Karen’s voice in his head was soothing as she called out minor disturbances around the block. Queens had been quiet lately. The Blip has caused so much simultaneous confusion and relief that Peter thought maybe criminals didn’t have the energy for it right now. It was almost too bad. He could use a good fight. 

The thwip of his webshooters became like a rhythm as Spider-Man worked his way through the city. 

It was just a stupid quiz, Peter reminded himself. It was nothing to fixate on. 

And sure, MJ might have been the coolest person he’d ever met, Avengers included. She was brilliant, but so were plenty of people at their school. She was funny, but Ned could be funny too. And yes, when Ben died she’d been one of the few people to not treat him like some kind of ticking time bomb of emotion. And when she’d found out about Mr. Stark, she’d given Peter that detailed ink sketch, even though she wasn’t his biggest fan. 

And she was beautiful. It didn’t matter that she was taller than him, or that half the time she hid behind her hair. And maybe she’d never be the kind of person who contoured their makeup, or wore any at all, but she was…

Well, she was MJ. 

“Something on your mind, Peter?” Karen’s electronic voice filled his mind. “You’re quiet tonight.”

“I’m ok, Karen,” Peter assured his suit’s AI. 

“You’re never quiet.” She pressed. “Are you under duress?”

“Just thinking,” he insisted. 

Karen seemed to accept this, quieting for the time being. Peter attempted to move his mind to anything else, car thieves, bank robbers, anything at all that wasn’t girls, grief, or that stupid quiz. 

That didn’t quite account for how he found himself swinging steadily towards MJ’s family brownstone. 

He could see her through his heightened goggles, sitting out on her fire escape. She had a book balanced in her lap, but she wasn’t reading. Her eyes—dark and wide and shrouded in long lashes— were unfocused, staring off into the lights of the city. 

“Your vitals are spiking,” Karen observed from inside Peter’s mask. “Should I engage defensive protocols?”

“No, Karen.” Peter swung to a stop, clinging to a building just out of sight. “I’m not in any danger.”

“Oh,” Karen repeated pleasantly. “Then why are we here, Peter?”

For this, he had no answer. 

From the fire escape, MJ let out a sigh. Peter focused on the sight of her again. She looked— messy, to be honest. Hey curly hair was pinned back in a sloppy braid, she was wearing a shirt two sizes too big, and her yawn told him that she’d been sleeping about as much as he had. 

“You should say hello,” Karen suggested. 

“And tell her what?” Peter asked. “A Buzzfeed quiz thinks we should be soulmates?”

“I’m not sure I understand,” Karen responded after a pause. “I cannot confirm the science of soulmates.”

“I guess Mr. Stark didn’t plan for that, huh, Karen?” Peter’s throat felt suddenly tight. 

“He did not,” Karen confirmed. “Your Aunt May will be waking up soon. If you want to make it back before, you must leave within the next five minutes.”

“Sure Karen,” Peter sighed. He took aim, releasing another line of web. 

From her fire escape, MJ turned suddenly in his direction. 

“You’ve been detected,” Karen cautioned.

Peter ignored her, changing course before he could think better of it. He landed with more grace than he could have hoped to manage on MJ’s fire escape, coming face to face with her. 

“Your vitals are spiking again,” Karen sounded almost alarmed. “Might I suggest—“

Peter shut the voice out in favor of smiling at the girl staring at him. Not that she could see his smile. Or his blush. Thank God. 

“Hey,” he greeted. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I’m not scared,” MJ responses quickly. She stood up. “It’s nice to see you back,” she told him. “Unless you’ve been here the whole time.” She cleared her throat nervously. “I was uh...blipped you know. Five years,” she snapped. “Crazy, huh?”

“Uh yeah,” Peter attempted to deepen his voice. “I blipped too.”

“Peter,” Karen imparted. “Your heart rate—“

“Well,” MJ’s mouth pulled up into what could almost be a smile. “It’s good to be back. And it’s good you’re back. I feel…” she stepped closer to him. “Safe.” 

“That’s good,” he stuttered. “That’s what I’m here for. Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.”

“Sneaking around my window in the middle of the night,” she deadpanned, raising a brow. 

“Right,” he nodded, glad the suit hid his blush. “Well,” he stood up. “Better get back on patrol.”

Another thwip, and he was ready to swing away. 

“Good night Spider-Man,” MJ waved, heading back to her book. 

“Good night M— miss,” he almost fell, but managed to get away with some dignity.

The night air cooled his flushed skin as he swung home. Karen counted down the moments until May’s alarm went off. Peter made it with a minute to spare, climbing back into his window.

“Was that her?” Karen asked right before he removed his suit. “Your soulmate?”

“I hope so,” Peter admitted, removing his mask.

School came quickly a few hours later. Peter stumbled outside in street clothes, yawning as he headed for the train. Ned was there waiting, and MJ was beside him. 

“Morning,” Ned greeted brightly. 

“Hey Ned,” Peter grinned. “Hi MJ.” His stomach did that funny sort of swoop again, his senses going haywire. 

“Hey Pete,” she licked her lips. “I uh, brought you something.” She thrust her hand out towards him. Peter noticed the second cup of coffee all at once.

“Oh,” he blinked, a flush creeping up his neck. “Thank you. You didn’t have to—“

“I just figured you’d be tired, that’s all,” she explained in a rush of breath. “You’ve been tired lately.”

Peter took the cup. “Thanks MJ. That’s really sweet.”

She nodded, eyes dropping. “I got Ned one too,” she said quickly. 

Ned held his cup up as evidence.

“Cool,” Peter said, “thanks again.”

“We’re going to be late,” she said. She spun on her heel, bouncing down the stairs to the subway. 

“You two are weird,” Ned observed. He sipped his iced coffee. 

Peter took a swig of his own, starting in surprise when he realized she’d gotten his favorite honey latte. A smudge of ink caught his eye. He turned the cup in his hand. 

MJ had drawn a tiny cartoon in black sharpie. Spider-Man crouched atop the printed logo, while Iron Man flew right beneath it. She’d added a speech bubble, proclaiming, “Morning, Tiger,” from both of their mouths. She’d started calling him that after May showed her a picture of six-year-old Peter in his big cat themed Halloween costume. He’d hated it at first. But now...

Peter’s heart clenched. 

“What’s wrong?” Ned asked. “MJ’s right. We’re going to be late for that Spanish quiz if we don’t go now.”

“Nothing,” Peter shook his head, smiling. “Quiz. Right. Let’s go nail this thing.”

He followed his friends onto the train, trying not to stare at MJ and not completely succeeding. She glanced up at him from her book. He tipped his cup at her, illustration out. 

“Thanks,” he mouthed at her. 

MJ blushes but smiled. “Want to quiz me on conjugation really quick?” she asked, passing him the book.

“Sure,” he accepted it. Their hands touched. His spider-sense ran haywire again. For a moment, Peter thought MJ might have felt it. She gasped lightly, flushing.

“So weird,” Ned slurped on his straw loudly. 

Peter took the book. “Ready?” He asked. 

“Fire away,” she responded. 

It was just a quiz, Peter told himself later, when his coffee had long gone cold. The cup was perched on the corner of his desk, drawing-side facing him. He snapped a picture of it, wanting to preserve the memory. 

“Parker,” his teacher snapped. “Phones away.”

Caught, Peter hastily stowed the device. From her place in front of him, MJ turned. She winked at him. 

“Quiz time!” Their teacher announced. 

“Ready, Tiger?” MJ challenged in a whisper. 

“Yeah,” Peter nodded, grinning at her. “I’m ready.”


End file.
